Blues skipper has been sending teammates inspirational messages ahead of the Club World Cup final

John Terry has given his Club World Cup final captain’s speech to the Chelsea players – from 6,000 miles away, writes the Sunday People.

Blues boss Rafa Benitez revealed he has been in constant touch with the injured skipper ahead of today’s showdown with Corinthians.

And Benitez said that Terry’s message to the rest of the squad was a key part of his final preparations as the Blues seek to become only the second English club – after Manchester United in 1999 and 2008 – to beat the cream of South America.

Benitez said: “I was preparing the team talk and had messages, including some from John Terry.

“It was good to get them. He’s been sending messages asking about how the team has been and that’s very positive.

“He told us how well we were doing, how much he enjoyed watching the game on Thursday, and wished us all the best. I forgot to pass it on to the players yesterday but I will tell all the team before the game.”

Benitez, who was in charge of the Liverpool team he still insists was robbed by Corinthians’ neighbours and biggest rivals Sao Paulo in the 2005 final, is determined to land his first trophy as Chelsea boss.

Reuters

Training day: Benitez talks to his players in Japan

The Spaniard won with Inter Milan in 2010 but defeat five years earlier had a bigger impact on him.

“You hate to lose any game. As a manager that hurts,” he said.

“But in that game we had three goals disallowed, a penalty that should have been given, a red card they should have had, everything.

“I’m really upset when I lose a game but especially a game like that in a massive competition. The team was doing really well and I was really upset afterwards.

“A final is the biggest game. If you play a massive game in the league you normally have two or three games afterwards that you can change things.

“But after the final, it’s finished. You can’t change anything. So in a final you cannot afford to make mistakes.”

The tournament may have been mocked in Britain but Corinthians are taking it deadly seriously and Benitez is determined his Chelsea players do likewise.

“We had meetings today – one with the midfielders and defenders and the other with the offensive players,” he said.

“I wanted to change a few things, analyse our game, the positives and the negatives. Then we will analyse Corinthians, the weaknesses we feel we can exploit.

“I can understand some people from a distance saying this competition is not important but this is an important final.

“Just to be here you have to win the Champions League. It’s the same for the South American team.

“I will study my players before the game.

“Always, after the warm-up, I ask my staff if they are sharp and paying attention to everything or distracted. Normally around 80 per cent of the time you know more or less if they are ready to win.”